1. The Christopher G. Moore Prize is awarded annually to recognise a literary work in a book format no less than 80,000 words published in the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is made. The winner for the 2026 Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing will be announced on January 6th 2027 and will recognise a work first published between July 1st 2025 and June 30th 2026.

2. Each submission will require a completed online entry form with the relevant ebook attached. Submissions must be received on or before April 3rd 2026 to be eligible.

3. All entries will include a warranty and representation either from the author or an authorised representative of the publisher, confirming that the author’s work is his or her original creation and no part of it has been plagiarised, and does not otherwise violate copyright law. This will be in the form of a tick box on the submission page.

4. Revised editions and reprints are not eligible.

5. Books must be written either by single author, or in the event of co-authors, no more than three authors in total.

6. All entries must be submitted in ebook format. The entry form must also be in electronic form.

7. No entry fee or other expense is connected with submissions.

8. Any individuals may submit any number of books for the Prize. This includes submissions made by publishers or editors.

9. Entries must be in the English language. Translations into English will also be accepted. There is no residence or citizen eligibility requirement. The author and/or the publisher may be resident or a citizen anywhere. This is an international prize and is open to authors worldwide.

1. The Prize is named after Christopher G. Moore, the Canadian novelist and essayist.

2. The objective of the Moore Prize is to provide funds and public recognition to authors of written works that contribute to the understanding and universality of human rights, calling attention to instances of clear breaches of human rights. The purpose of the prize is to honour books that promote human rights (as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent United Nations conventions and declarations) throughout the world.

3. Submitted entries may meet this requirement through narratives in which the author has substantially incorporated at least one of the following:

• illustrates abuses and violation of human rights;

• contributes to a greater understanding in the manner humans rights are administered;

• focuses on issues of monitoring and enforcement of human rights legislation;

• heightens the awareness of problems connected to human rights issues related to privacy, freedom of expression, and dissemination of information whether in digital or analogue form.

4. Submitted works should be about current or recent human rights issues.  Historical accounts, academic textbooks, books of poetry or essays are not suitable for the Prize.

5. The winner of the Prize will receive £2,000. In the case of a translated book, the prize money will be divided equally between the author and translator.

6. A Special Prize may be awarded with the consent of the Director and at the discretion of the judges. In the case of a Special Prize being awarded, there may be a monetary award in the discretion of the Director. Such award will not exceed that fixed for other Prizes.

7. The director of the Christopher G. Moore Foundation and operations manager of the Prize will have the final say on the eligibility of any entry, subject to the oversight of the director or such committee as he may appoint and chair.

1. A new set of judges will be appointed each year. The judges will be selected by the Director, in consultation with the Foundation trustees. The number of judges for the prize will be fixed by the Director each year.

2. Judges are not eligible for a Prize in the year they are judging.

Nomination for a Prize are encouraged, after prior consultation, from the appropriate official or committee of the following organizations:

International Pen

Amnesty International

The Center for Democracy & Technology

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Global Internet Liberty Campaign

The International Federation for Human Rights

Reporters Without Borders

The list of organisations may change at any time. The Director is also authorized to add other nominating organizations, which promote the purposes of the Prizes. The fact that the Foundation has invited an organisaton to nominate an author does not mean they have endorsed or are co-sponsors of the Prize or that the nomination represents an official position of the organization. The nominating entity or the author nominated or his or her publisher must arrange to submit the ebook edition of the nominated book to the Director.

1. The Foundation will seek the support from a nominated author’s publisher to publicise books on their list that have been longlisted, shortlisted and/or award winners.

2. If a book is shortlisted or wins the Prize, ‘Shortlisted for the Moore Prize 2026′ or ‘Winner of the Moore Prize 2026′ will be placed on the publishers website page for the book and a sticker placed on the front cover with these or similar words.

1. The Foundation will publish a longlist of submissions for the Prize. The number of the books to be longlisted shall be in the discretion of Director in consultation with the judges.

2. The Foundation will publish a shortlist for the Prize based on the entries on the longlist. The number of the books to be shortlisted shall be in the discretion of Director in consultation with the judges.

3. The winners of the Prize will be announced on the Foundation website. In subsequent years, the director may announce the winners at an annual Awards Ceremony.